The Tigers iced the Ivy title last weekend — their first outright claim to the Championship the league’s 79-year history — and the seniors will play at Baker Rink at least once more, during the playoffs, for only the third time in program history.
Tonight’s game against Colgate (13-12-5 overall, 7-7-4 ECAC Hockey) and Saturday night’s Senior Night showdown against Cornell (12-10-3, 10-7-1) may lack the significance of past years’ contests, as the No. 17 Tigers (15-10-0, 12-6-0) have redefined Princeton hockey and in doing have changed Ivy League and ECAC norms.
“The home playoff series and the Ivy League title are all steps in the right direction,” said senior defensive captain Mike Moore, who was a freshman on the 2004-05 Tiger squad that went 8-20-3. “But neither represents the ceiling of what this team can accomplish. We are certainly enjoying our success, but we know that we have a lot more left to do.”
For now, however, the Tigers are focused on the task at hand: taking care of the Raiders, putting away the Big Red and remaining in sole possession of second place in the ECAC.
“These are two tough teams, and they are both coming off of strong weekends,” Moore said of Colgate and Cornell. “We all have momentum — we are just going to have to outwork them.”
That may be easier said than done. Colgate, though ranked eighth in the ECAC, is coming off shutout wins against Union and Rensselaer last weekend. The Raiders have not allowed a goal in their last three games, a result of stellar play from senior goalie Mark Dekanich. Recently drafted by the NHL’s Nashville Predators, Dekanich is first in the league in both goals-against average — an astonishing 1.88 — and save percentage — .932.
Colgate has given up the third-fewest goals in the ECAC and leads the league in goals allowed per game. This is not due to an overly defensive style of play, however. The Raiders also boast the ECAC’s top two scoring forwards: Jesse Winchester and Tyler Burton.
Winchester leads the league with 24 assists and 32 points, followed by Burton who has 17 goals and 31 points. Winchester is also fifth in the league in power-play points.
The Colgate offense has scored the second-most goals in the ECAC, and the Raiders also have the league’s second-best special teams, a stat compiled by combining a team’s success in both the penalty kill — 86.7 percent — and power play — 12.8 percent.
Saturday night’s opponent, Cornell, is coming off an impressive 7-1 victory over Rensselaer in which the Big Red outshot the Engineers 32-17. Cornell is currently ranked fourth in the ECAC, just one point behind Quinnipiac and three points behind Princeton.
The Big Red is led by two underclassmen, freshman forward Riley Nash, who was drafted by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, and sophomore forward Colin Greening, drafted by the Ottawa Senators. Nash currently leads all ECAC skaters in power-play points and power-play goals and is ninth in scoring, while Greening leads Cornell in assists and game-winning goals.
Cornell’s best player, however, is its sophomore goaltender Ben Scrivens. Scrivens is currently ranked second behind only Dekanich in goals-against average and save percentage, 2.10 and 0.927 respectively. The combined efforts of Scrivens and the rest of the Big Red defense have allowed the fewest goals in the Ivy League.
The Tigers are currently in second place in the ECAC, and with only four games left. Two victories this weekend would ensure a top-four finish and a bye into the ECAC quarterfinals.
Earlier in the season, the importance of these two games might not have seemed possible. At one point in early November, Princeton lost four of five league games, but since their Nov. 30 4-3 loss to No. 18 Rensselaer, the Tigers are 9-2 in the ECAC.
“At the start we were just figuring things out, getting used to each other,” Moore said. “There was a learning curve, but we’re past that now. Now we’ve finally bought into the system. We’re blocking shots, clearing the zone, limiting turnovers and playing with confidence.”
The Cornell game will also be a celebration for the team’s five seniors — Moore, and forwards Landis Stankievech, Erik Pridham, Keith Shattenkirk and Kyle Hagel — all of whom have helped the program grow into an ECAC Championship contender.
“It’s humbling to know that our careers are coming to an end, and we are definitely excited,” Moore said of Senior Night. “But we are more excited about what is happening in the weeks after Senior Night. This team has an opportunity and the skill to accomplish some great things in the playoffs, and that’s our main focus.”
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